


Nightmare

by Chibitami



Series: Requested Scenario Collection [28]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Guilt, Mild Gore, Nightmares, POV Second Person, Survivor Guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:40:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23570203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibitami/pseuds/Chibitami
Summary: Requested by anon on Tumblr: "Hey, Im glad your requestw are open! Congrats for the 700+, you deserve it! I wanted to ask Cora S/O waking up in the middle of the night (in the sub) screaming and crying because she dreamt of Coras death (shes a member of Laws crew, so all of them heard the screams, but Law is already there when they arrive). Law is trying to calm them because its not the first time that happens, but its the first time it hits her so hard. Idk if this makes any sense, sorry-"
Relationships: Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante/Reader, Trafalgar D. Water Law & Reader
Series: Requested Scenario Collection [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1577755
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	Nightmare

Law knew that you suffered from night terrors and nightmares, and there were nights where he could hear you through the echoey metal walls of the Polar Tang breathing heavily, murmuring, crying out for "Cora" in fear… He suffered from his own nightmares on most nights, but he dealt with it by sleeping as little as possible. He knew it wasn't the healthiest method of coping, but he had too much on his mind with taking down Doflamingo (and then Kaido) to take time out to properly deal with his issues.

Your only roommate in the women's barracks was Ikkaku, and whenever you had a nightmare she would gently try to wake you before asking if she needed to get Law. You were usually able to recover with Ikkaku consoling you for a few minutes, and over time the two of you had become close friends as a result. You opened up to her a  _ bit  _ about your past with Law and your relationship with Corazon but even though Ikkaku was a dear friend, the only one who could really understand your nightmares was Law. A small part of you felt embarrassed about having to ask the former child you and Cora took care of for help, especially for something as childish as a nightmare. You repeatedly reassured Ikkaku with a shaky smile on your face that you were fine, you just needed something to drink, that there was no need to bother Law with something so small.

Tonight was the worst it had ever been. Ikkaku had heard you crying out in the night, and she rolled out of her hammock to wake you as usual. Before she could even make it across the room to you, she froze when you suddenly let out a horrified scream that echoed off of the walls and began sobbing uncontrollably in your sleep. "C-Cora," you moaned, thrashing in your hammock as you uselessly reached out to your love. 

The scenario in your head was one you'd dreamt a million times--Doflamingo has you and Law surrounded by his strings, and Cora is rushing to save the two of you. "I c-can't move...He's trapped me…"  _ The strings close around your throat and you can barely breathe as you see Cora come closer to you. His makeup is...off. The dark red of his usual lipstick is a different shade, and the sides of his mouth are dripping. As he gets closer to you to try and rip away the strings, you realize that his mouth is covered with blood. Doflamingo appears suddenly behind Cora, just as he brushes his fingers over your cheek; you feel something liquid drip down your face and when you look at Corazon's hand you see that like his mouth, it's dripping with blood. Before you can recoil in fear or cry out for Cora to defend himself, you're forced to watch as his body suddenly erupts as thousands of strings rip him apart from the inside.  _

Your screams are so loud and frantic that soon, everyone on the ship is running to the women's cabin to see what's happening. Ikkaku has desperately been trying to wake you up, but when she realized her efforts are futile, she pushed past the rest of the crew out the door. "Do what you can to calm her down or wake her up," she said frantically. "I need to get--"

She stops when she sees Law already at the door, looking out of breath from how quickly he'd sprinted from the captain's quarters to get to you. "It's a bad one," she murmured, stepping aside and following him as he headed straight for your hammock. "I can't wake her up, and she won't stop screaming, and--"

Law's stomach sinks when he hears your familiar scream again as you sob in your sleep. You've had this dream before, years and years ago, but he had thought (and hoped) that over time it wouldn't come as frequently amidst your other nightmares. He carefully placed a hand on your shoulder to try and keep you from falling out of the hammock while you thrash in your sleep, thinking you're trapped by Doflamingo's strings. "____, you're dreaming," he said, trying to sound as calm as possible. 

You barely comprehend his voice as you continue to cry and flail wildly in your dream.  _ More and more of Cora's blood falls where he touched your face as you helplessly watch him fall into a gruesome heap on the floor in front of you. He was distracted by you. He could have realized Doflamingo was behind him, but he was too worried about you. He died because of  _ **_you._ **

"My fault," you moaned, hyperventilating as tears spilled down your cheeks. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

Law squeezed your shoulders a bit firmer than before and spoke louder. "____, you need to wake up. Please,  _ please,  _ just wake up. I'm here."

_ In your dream, you managed to just barely recognize Law's voice as it broke through from reality. The world around you abruptly blurred and faded from your mind,  _ and you snapped your eyes open. Law had his hands on your shoulders. Your body was covered in a thin layer of cold sweat, and your chest rose and fell with rapid, panicked breaths. Behind Law and Ikkaku, you could see Bepo, Shachi Penguin, and the rest of the crew all packed in your room. You would have been embarrassed if you weren't still panicking and crying, even after you had woken up. "L-Law…" Your voice was quiet and wobbled as you covered your face. "I'm sorry," you muttered, your face burning as you tried to wipe away your tears. "I didn't mean to worry all of you."

"Don't apologize, ____-chan," Bepo said gently. "You didn't do anything wrong. Besides, you're nakama; you'd come check on us if we were screaming, right?"

You nodded and looked up at Law. His gaze softened, and he looked back at the crew. "Give us a few minutes alone," he said. 

"Wait," you protested, "Don't kick Ikkaku out, she should get to sleep here. It's my fault she woke up--"

"It's fine, ___," Ikkaku said with a small smile. "I'll just sleep on top of Bepo in the guys' room! He's basically a bed, so I don't need a hammock." The rest of the crew headed out of the room, and Ikkaku closed the door to leave the two of them alone. Law knelt down and moved to rest his hand on hers.

"You haven't had one like this in a long time," he remarked. "I was lucky I managed to wake you up before you fell out of bed and hit your head."

You looked down at the floor, still feeling a sense of shame for worrying Law. "I'm sorry. If I had known it was going to be this bad tonight, I would have found somewhere else to sleep so I wouldn't wake everyone up--"

"That isn't the problem here, ____-ya," Law said firmly. "Nobody on the crew is upset with you. It isn't your fault." He was quiet for a moment before he looked back at her in the eyes. He had looked up to ____ and Cora during his childhood in the Family, for guidance, strength, for someone to console him when his own nightmares of his parents and sister dying left him screaming and crying in the middle of the night. And now, the tables were turned--she was looking up to him, and she was the one with ragged breaths, reddened eyes, and a desperate need for someone to make her feel less alone. 

"...It wasn't your fault." He squeezed her hand, and let his normal stoic mask slip for a moment. His voice wavered a bit when he continued. "I know that feeling. I used to wonder what would have happened if I had been more careful, if I had managed to keep Vergo and Doflamingo from finding him out, if I could have done... _ something,  _ he'd still be here."

You squeezed his hand back. "You were a child, Law," you said quietly. "There's nothing you could have done."

"You're right," Law replied. "But that didn't stop me from feeling guilty for what happened. I felt like he'd died to save me, and that I wasn't worth dying for, not if it meant--" He cut himself off for a moment, feeling a heavy painful weight in his heart that he had held back for years. "Not if it meant living without Cora-san."

Hearing Corazon's name in the real world made a new wave of tears fall down your cheeks, and you blinked them away as you squeezed Law's hand a bit tighter. "I know saying this won't magically take your pain away; truth be told, I don't think it will ever go away--even after we get revenge on Doflamingo. But...just because he died  _ for  _ us, that doesn't mean he died  _ because  _ of us." He looked at you firmly in the eye, and his jaw clenched a bit. "He died because Doflamingo murdered him. It wasn't my fault, and it certainly wasn't yours."

You stared up at him for a moment before slowly pulling him in for a hug while you quietly cried on his shoulder. Hearing Law say that, refusing to let you believe what you had thought for so long...it was like a weight being lifted off of your shoulders, and yet it made your heart feel incredibly heavy at the same time. The grief would always be there, but the guilt had finally been allowed to leave. Law returned your embrace and let a few tears of his own fall before quickly restraining himself and wiping them away, and the two of you held each other in a way you hadn't done in years. In the wake of a nightmare, it was a small comfort to have your family beside you.

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to rev up the angst as much as I possible could, since straight-up angst is something I'm not THAT experienced with. Hopefully this was appropriately tearjerking, lol


End file.
